San Angelo's New Year's Resolutions

Lose weight, save money, quite smoking, learn something new—the list of New Years Resolutions is anything but sundry, with many Americans resolving to achieve the same goals year after year.

We don’t really need research to prove that ambitious convictions are hard to hold, but for the sake of science, statistics from the University of Scranton Journal of Clinical Psychology published in December 2012 back up our assumptions.

Data from the journal suggest that some 45 percent of Americans usually resolve to make changes beginning Jan. 1, 75 percent of whom manage to make it over the hurdle of week one. Four weeks in, 63 percent are still holding strong, and after six months a whopping 45 percent have maintained a change (or at least claim to).

Among the top ten are the usual suspects—get more organized, enjoy life to the fullest, and of course the four listed above—but there also seem to be a good number of hopeless romantics in the U.S. of A., with ‘fall in love’ coming in at number nine, just above ‘spend more time with family’.

Next year, LIVE! is resolving to think outside the box, so we thought we’d ask our readers what their most original resolutions are. Here are some of the results.

Angela Modawell Ward wrote, “Each week of the year, Each family member will write down a scripture on a card and study it diligently for the week until it is memorized. By the end of the year my family will be closer to God and will be better equipped to share the gospel! God's word is the only thing that will prepare us for the day of judgement.”

Another LIVE! reader, Angela Schultz McNutt, is also making a resolution for her family. “Getting back to having a family/game day every week,” McNutt wrote.

We didn’t see many that had to do with environmental or physical health concerns, but Monica Cortez Arizola says she intends to “Live below my means, green living.” And Monica Hagle took the word “original” seriously when she wrote: “Gain 5 pounds. Briefly consider taking a walk every day.”

Dario Avalos is planning to “make an impact on this city,” and you may be seeing more of Julio Saldana, whose ambition is to come write for LIVE!

Keep us updated on your successes in 2014, and as always, Happy New Year!